The Dance Floor
by Jetstream Girge
Summary: A little two chapter collection involving dancing and music, two of the most purest forms of expression. Two different pairings and two unrelated chapters. Enjoy!


**Hey everyone! I know I should be working on Boundaries and my other stories, but I heard Shut Up and Dance by WALK THE MOON on the radio one day as I driving around and got this picture in my head. The picture soon became filled with dialogue and became a scene, and finally a story. Well, a short one at least. This is the first chapter in this two-shot of Raven x someone pairings involving dancing, music and feelings. This is my first shot at first person, so I hope it came out okay. I highly recommend listening to the above song before you read the story, pay attention to the lyrics and read the story carefully. You might notice something. Enjoy!**

* * *

I didn't know why I couldn't just say no to her. Maybe it was because everyone else was coming along. Maybe it was because I hadn't been to a dance club in a long while. Maybe it was because she asked me to accompany the gang just like _she_ had years ago.

Whatever the reason was, it didn't matter. I found myself sitting in a cushioned booth watching my companions make complete morons of themselves.

Elsword was nothing but a twister of limbs that occasionally flopped to the floor in an unceremonious heap that would quickly leap back up to begin again.

Aisha was overthinking the whole concept of dancing, as she stepped so slow she was more like one of the tables as opposed to a patron. Typical of her.

Eve was doing some kind of bizarre set of movements that looked like her limbs were replaced with ratchets. Very fitting for a machine such as herself.

Chung was probably the most normal out of the bunch, desperately trying to teach Ara, our resident klutz, how to dance without ending up on her ass, albeit unsuccessfully.

Elesis was trying to drag Add away from the music master, as the insane kid was lecturing the poor guy on how to arrange his tunes.

And Rena… Wait, where did she go?

I swung my head about, trying to catch sight of the elf, but to no avail. She was nowhere to be seen.

Had she been kidnapped? Not likely. Anyone brave, or in most cases stupid, enough to try to feel up our archer would end up on the floor with a mouthful of broken teeth from her vicious kicks and their butt a pincushion from her arrows.

Her safety was not my worry. I just felt a bit uneasy whenever I lose sight of her having been around her for as long as I have. It's probably just some residue dread from that night when I lost sight of _her_ forever.

"There you are!" In a blur of green and yellow, there she was, standing in front of me, her hands on her hips like a disappointed mother. "Why aren't you out there, Raven?"

I tore my eyes from her emerald orbs to stare at some darkened corner of the room. "The arm's acting up a bit, just need some time until it stops," I said vaguely, hoping she would just leave me be. Unfortunately, she had other ideas in mind.

"Oh no you don't, you're coming with me." Before I could voice a rebuttal, she had yanked me out of my seat with surprising force and pulled me onto the dance floor. Once there, she released my hand and started dancing in front of me. She was pretty good I'll admit, and she shot me occasional glances as I stood there like a tree, silent urgings for me to join her.

"I…" Racking my brain for an excuse to escape I started to look back to the seat that she took me from when all of a sudden a pair of hands grabbed my cheeks and pulled my face back towards her. She stared into my eyes with a fierce, yet somewhat sad light.

"Don't you dare look back," she said.

That was what _she_ said to me that night. As I struggled to run from her, her hands went from my face to my hands in a flash, anchoring me to her.

"Come on, Raven. Just keep your eyes on me." _She_ said that, too. At least the eyes part, and she was wearing the same beaming smile _she_ had that night. Next thing I know, I found myself replaying that moment out loud, as though I were hypnotized.

I said, "You're holding back, aren't you?" I couldn't believe that came out of my mouth. Taking my unconscious babbling as a challenge she pulled me further onto the floor, past Elsword's pathetic pile of limbs and cloth.

Looking me square in the eyes, she said, "Shut up and dance with me."

 _She_ said that, too. And I remember thinking _this woman is my destiny,_ and I nearly thought it now, but a quick shake of the head threw off the bubbling memory. I must have been zoned out for a good few seconds because when I came to, I saw her expectant eyes gazing into mine.

"Raven, did you hear what I said?" she giggled. "I said _shut up and dance with me_!"

* * *

I remember that night so clearly because it was the night I made a life changing decision. I remember _she_ , a few of my Crow buddies and I were out on the town, enjoying an evening of drinking and laughter. No one was stumbling quite yet, but since we had all this energy _she_ suggested that we hit the dance floor of one of the many bars in Residential Area 3.

And so we did, as we were victims of the night, the chemical and physical kryptonite of the booming music infecting us with an energetic charge. Hopeless to the bass and the faded light, my friends were out on the floor making fools of themselves while _she_ laughed and danced along with them. I wasn't very confident in my dancing. I knew how to step in the midst of a duel, but I was as hopeless as a first time Velder tourist without a map on the dance floor.

That was when _she_ came spinning over to me. "Hey Raven, why aren't you out here with us? Come on, it's fun!" _She_ grabbed my arm and tried to pull me out of my seat, but I was always stronger than _her_ so I let _her_ futilely tug on my limb. However, despite my adamant physical placement, my mind was rushing in a whirlwind of thought.

 _We've been together for almost 2 years now. And never once have we regretted being together. It was like we were born to get together._ I paused the thought there, my body becoming a distant object, and repeated the last bit in my head. _Born to get together…_

 _She_ must have noticed my glazed eyes and took advantage of my distraction. _She_ took my arm; I don't know how it happened. I was supposed to be the stronger one after all. But my lack of focus rendered me unable to resist as we took the floor and _she_ said, "Oh don't you dare look back, mister!"

 _She_ had seen my head turning back to my precious chair and _she_ gave my arm a yank to bring my attention back to her. "Just keep your eyes on me, Raven. It's not that hard. Just do what comes naturally." _Her_ grip finally loosened and I pulled my arm from it to make my escape.

"You're holding back, Seris," I taunted, but _her_ hand lashed out like a snake and seized my trailing arm, pulling me back onto the floor with a surprising show of force.

With a bright smile _she_ said, "Shut up and dance with me, Raven!"

That was the final nail in the coffin. _This woman is my destiny_ , I thought to myself. _She_ was everything I wanted and she never ceased to amaze me every single day. I was browsing some of the jewelers in Commercial Area 1, looking at engagement rings earlier that day. _She_ was just so perfect, but the only thing that kept me from ordering a set was this uncertainty.

I couldn't really place this discomfort. Maybe I was just getting cold feet. Whatever it was, it was gone and I was ready to take the plunge. All I had to do was get the rings and then propose to her. I must have had a dumb look on my face because _she_ let out a small laugh.

"Hey, Elrios to Raven, didn't you hear me?" I snapped back to reality and looked into _her_ eyes tenderly. "I said, shut up and dance with me!"

* * *

As we spun around the dance floor, I started looking more closely at my elven partner. She was wearing a backless dress and some beat up sneaks, forgoing her usual attire in favor of something that made her look younger. Had I been a few years younger, I would have thought she was my discotheque, Juliet, teenage dream. But I was old enough to see the slight mature charm she exuded.

I couldn't stop the smile breaking out across my lips as she laughed airily. She was always able to bring it out of me, no matter how dark a place I was in. I at first saw her only as a replacement for _her_ , but over time I came to see her less as this shade of the past and more as a hope for a new future. While she looked strikingly similar to my lost beloved, there were certain characteristics that set her apart from _her_. She carried herself with more poise than _her_ , probably a result of her age. Her temper was also far more… frightening than _hers_. And, perhaps because of my grim loss, she was just that much more radiant.

I felt in my chest when she looked at me the first time we met. Even when I was under the influence of the nasods, I could feel my heart soar when I saw her. The light is always appears brighter in the deepest of shadows; and how she shined during those first few months. I couldn't even look her in the eyes at first, but I slowly realized that my lost love was gone forever.

I then hated her for having _her_ face. How dare she smile at me like that? Didn't she realize how much pain it brings me to relive my happiest moments in my dreams, only to realize it was gone forever on waking because of that smile? Of course she didn't. She's not _her_. She was just born that way. And I never told her of what happened that night, but she was smart.

She would notice when I didn't wish to be around her, and she would leave me be, albeit morosely. Next thing I knew, I was hurting her. She just wanted to help, but she didn't know how. It took me a while to realize that, and once I did, I forgave her in my heart and apologized to her.

Her smile then was so wide, I thought her face would split in half, but never had I been so captivated by such an expression. My thoughts were borderline obsessive when I thought about her after that. I always thought to myself, _we were born to be together. Yeah, born to be together._ I don't know if she ever noticed my endearing gazes, but if she did she didn't show it. I felt so ashamed every time her eyes met mine, because I felt like she could feel my leering.

Then one night, she took my arm and gazed into my eyes, her face inches from mine. "Raven," she said. "Is there something troubling you? You've been stealing glances at me for the past few weeks. Is there something you want to tell me?"

I don't know how it happened, but there was no disgust in her gaze, only concern. My singular thoughts had brought this on, and the shame I felt threatened to still my tongue. I tried to run, but she wouldn't let me leave. I wasn't leaving until I told her what laid in the depths of my heart.

So, I finally told her; about _her_ , from our first meeting to our final parting, and how she was so much like _her_. We stayed up all night as I retold my happiest moments and recalled the horrors of the last night when everything was taken. And she just sat there, never taking her eyes off me and only giving slight nods and brief words to tell me that she was listening.

Only when I finished did she tear her eyes from my face. Tears fell from my swollen, red eyes as I tried to push away the grief of having to relive the whole experience again. And then she finally whispered, "I am so sorry, Raven."

Her touch was so tender, like a mother cradling her child, as she gently drew me into an embrace. "I always thought I understood humans. That they could not experience the many spectrums of life because of they did not have the longevity of my people. But you…" I felt something wet on my shoulder. She was crying. "Even in all my years, I have never felt the joys you did, nor have I ever felt the pain of having it all taken away in a single moment. Only the most elder of our people are able to tell such tales. To hear it from you…"

She couldn't finish. Sobs filled her throat, and I could no longer hold back my tears. We stayed like that for El Lady knows how long, finally falling asleep in each other's arms when we were too tired to cry anymore.

That was when I finally put those obsessive thoughts to the flame. She wasn't my destiny. She was a possibility, and for now I was content with the comfort of having her at my side as a boon companion and a mature ear that would be lent whenever I needed it.

And then I fell in love again. But this time, with the elven archer I called my friend, not the shade of what I lost. It started with the small things she did, from her adamant refusal to consume meat to how her ears seemed to tilt higher whenever she was happy. Then, I started being a little bolder, occasionally dropping flirtatious remarks around the campfire or on the battlefield, to which she would let shine one of her signature smiles and respond, always in the positive, as if she enjoyed the attention. I came to love Rena, not _her_ ghost.

Another year passed, and here we were, spinning across the dance floor in a giddy exercise. "Raven!" she called. "You're slowing down!"

"Aw, come on, Rena. We both know I could go faster. You need to stop holding back!" I taunted back. She giggled and let another of her beautiful smiles light up her face. I couldn't help but flash her a grin of my own and she seemed to be struck dumb. She always said that she thought I had a handsome smile. Maybe she was getting just as lost in my face as I was in hers, because she didn't see the couple to her back until she bumped into them.

"Oh!" The sudden collision, while a very slight bump, pushed her into my chest and put her face dangerously close to mine. Our noses were almost touching for crying out loud!

"Ah…" I breathed. We stared into each other's eyes, green on gold. Neither of us could stop the red shades that crept onto our cheeks. And then I saw it.

Deep in her eyes, I would have sworn I saw a sky of stars amongst an emerald sea. _I think I see the future…_ I thought. That is when I realize this is my last chance, my last chance at a chance for happiness. If I pass this up, I don't think I will be able to muster up the courage to feel this way again.

My arms sagged as my grip slipped, my body a distant object once again. So, she took my arm and gave it a shake to snap me back. And then, I don't know how it happened, she leaned forward and I felt the slight warmth of her lips on my cheek. It was quick, only a peck, but it sent the message loud and clear.

"Uh… Well, I didn't think I was going to do _that_ ," she stuttered, seemingly snapping out of a trance of her own. "Forgive me, Raven. I don't know what-"

Before she could finish, I gave her a yank to the right and we started spinning again. And with as big a smile as I could afford, I said…

"Rena, just shut up and dance with me!"

* * *

 **And that's that! Chapter 1 of The Dance Floor is done. I try not to mention Seris' name as much as I can, because it is such a painful part of Raven's past that I feel like he tries to forget, so he only remembers her as a woman he used to love, but with no name. So, I apologize if looking at italics over and over is painful for you. Anyways, please Read and Review! Chapter 2 will be coming up soon! Until next time!**


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